Chapter 4 — The Palace of Endless Night

The wedding ended without celebration.

It absorbed it.

Balanced.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

Something deeper was connected to this land.

The Devil King Enters

The door opened quietly.

Lan Wangji stepped inside.

No guards.

No attendants.

Just him.

Wei Wuxian turned.

“Your Majesty.”

“You may call me Lan Wangji,” he corrected calmly.

Wei Wuxian smiled slightly.

“Lan Wangji.”

The name sounded natural in his voice.

Lan Wangji stood a few steps away. His golden eyes examined him carefully, as if confirming something.

“You are analyzing the realm.”

“Of course,” Wei Wuxian replied honestly. “I live here now.”

Lan Wangji did not seem offended.

Instead, he walked closer.

The air pressure rose slightly—but not toward Wei Wuxian.

It was as if the entire room adjusted to protect him.

“You will not be restricted here,” Lan Wangji said. “You may go anywhere in the palace.”

Trust.

So easily given.

Wei Wuxian tilted his head.

“You are not worried I will betray you?”

Lan Wangji’s answer came without hesitation.

“No.”

Not because he was naive.

Because he was certain.

Wei Wuxian studied his expression carefully.

Cold face.

Sharp eyes.

Merciless aura.

But when he looked at him—

There was no hostility.

Only quiet attention.

Love at first sight.

Even if Lan Wangji did not say it.

A Simple Promise

Silence lingered between them.

Lan Wangji spoke again.

“This marriage may be political.”

Wei Wuxian waited.

“But your safety is not.”

The statement was firm.

Not romantic.

Not emotional.

Just truth.

Wei Wuxian felt a strange warmth in his chest.

In every future he saw—

Lan Wangji never abandoned him.

Never hesitated to stand in front of him.

He wondered if the Devil King realized how

transparent he was when it came to him.

“Then I will protect your realm in return,” Wei Wuxian said softly.

Lan Wangji’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“You already intend to act.”

It was not a question.

Wei Wuxian laughed lightly.

“I cannot sit quietly while something ancient is awakening.”

For the first time, Lan Wangji’s expression changed slightly.

“You sensed it.”

“Yes.”

Their eyes met.

No need for explanation.

Both rulers understood.

The thousand-year war was not the true cause of imbalance.

There was something older.

Something sealed.

And it was weakening.

The First Investigation

After Lan Wangji left to attend night court, Wei Wuxian moved quietly through the palace corridors.

He did not bring guards.

He did not inform anyone.

His Spring aura was soft, subtle.

He extended his spiritual sense into the land beneath

the palace.

And then—

He found it.

Deep below the Abyss.

A sealed formation.

Ancient.

Older than Heaven’s current emperor.

Older than Lan Wangji’s reign.

Its energy felt twisted.

Chaotic.

Hungry.

Wei Wuxian’s breath slowed.

So this was the real enemy.

A low whisper echoed in his mind—

“Spring…”

His eyes snapped open.

The seal reacted to him.

Not to Lan Wangji.

Not to the Devil Realm.

To him.

Interrupted

Suddenly, the temperature in the corridor dropped sharply.

Wei Wuxian turned calmly.

A shadowed figure lunged from behind a pillar.

A devil noble.

Eyes glowing red.

Weapon aimed at the Spring God’s heart.

Before the blade reached him—

It shattered midair.

A powerful dark aura slammed the attacker against the wall.

Lan Wangji stood at the end of the corridor.

Golden eyes burning.

“You dare?”

His voice was no longer calm.

It was lethal.

The attacker trembled.

“Forgive me— Your Majesty— I believed Heaven sent him to weaken us—”

The pressure increased.

Bones cracked.

Wei Wuxian stepped forward gently.

“Lan Wangji.”

Instantly—

The crushing aura stopped.

The devil noble collapsed unconscious but alive.

Lan Wangji looked at him.

“He threatened you.”

Wei Wuxian’s voice remained soft.

“And you handled it.”

Lan Wangji’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You are not angry.”

Wei Wuxian smiled faintly.

“If he wanted me dead, I would already be dead.”

Confidence.

Genius-level awareness.

Lan Wangji stepped closer.

“You will not walk alone at night.”

It was not control.

It was protection.

Wei Wuxian did not argue.

“Then walk with me.”

A brief pause.

Lan Wangji extended his hand.

Wei Wuxian placed his hand in it.

Darkness and spring light intertwined again.

Balanced.

Natural.

Far below the palace—

The ancient seal cracked a little more.

A distorted voice whispered:

“He has arrived…”

“The Spring God who will either destroy me…”

“Or free me.”

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